8. Maddox

Chapter 8

Maddox

I grab her hand and pull her to the dance floor before she tries to escape. I know that I have a lot of explaining to do to her, but also to Bull. As I stop towards the outer edge and pull her into my arms, I can feel all eyes on me. One wrong move or if I put my hand somewhere where they think I shouldn't, then every man in this club will finish me, but that's a good thing, I guess. I like to know that she's protected. She became one of us when Bull started dating Kate. Once they got married, she became the princess of the club.

She holds herself stiffly in my arms. "What are you doing, Maddox?"

I can hear the frustration in her voice. "Dancing." I tell her.

We sway back and forth, barely moving. She shakes her head. "I understand the concept of dancing, but why are WE dancing?"

I don't even hesitate in telling her, "It's because I want to feel you in my arms."

She stiffens even more and pushes away from me. I let her put an arm's length between us, but I still have my hands on her waist holding onto her. I can't let her go, not yet.

She looks pissed. "Quit fucking with my head."

I brush a piece of her hair off of her face and then cup her jaw, forcing her to look me in the eyes. I want her to see the sincerity on my face when I tell her, "I'm not with fucking you. Not anymore."

Her eyes never leave mine and just when I think that she may start to believe me, she puts her hands on my chest and pushes away. I'm forced to let her go as she crosses arms over her chest. "Yes, you are. Take me home."

She wipes at a tear rolling down her face and I take a step towards her. "Emma."

She shakes her head. "No, I want to go home."

"Fuck." I say, as I run my hands through my hair. I've never seen her this upset before and it kills me to know that I'm the one that did it to her. If only she would give me a chance, I can make this all better. I know that I can. I reach for her again, but this time when she draws back, she holds both of her hands up and there's real fear in her eyes. I take a step back, nodding my head with my hands up, palm's facing her. "Okay. Okay, let's go. I'll take you home."

I motion for her to walk in front of me and I barely resist putting my hand on her back as she leads us to the front doors. She waves bye to a few of the guys and when we get to the front porch, she looks around, probably looking for my bike. I point across the parking lot. "We can just take my truck."

I'm hoping that if we at least take my truck, I'll be able to get her to talk to me. I help her in and then drive across town. Her mom and Bull do not live far away, so I know I don't have a lot of time. "I think we need to talk, Emma."

She's leaning away from me, her chin tucked onto her hand as she looks out the window. She sounds completely defeated when she answers me. "We don't have anything to talk about. It's been three years, Maddox."

I pull into the driveway and no sooner get stopped and she's out of the truck, running up the front steps. I walk fast behind her, determined to catch up. When I call her name, she stops on the top step of the porch. I stop beside her and point inside the house. I know I have no right to say anything, but it still doesn't stop me. "If Carson goes anywhere near your bedroom, he's a dead man."

Her mouth falls open in surprise. She shakes her head as if she can't believe what I'm saying to her. She's up the stairs as I shut the front door behind me. Kate and Bull are both looking at me. I’m half out of patience at this point. "You have frat boy locked up somewhere?" I ask them.

Kate smiles, knowingly. She points toward the back of the house. "He's passed out in the back bedroom."

"Okay. Can we talk, now?" I say to Bull.

He stands up and it's obvious that he is pissed off. As soon as we get into the study, he turns on me. "How long has this been going on?"

I put my hands on my hips. "How long has what been going on exactly?"

He points to the ceiling above him. "This thing with my daughter, dammit."

I'm already on the defensive, but I know I can't be that way with Bull. The truth is going to have to come out one way or another and it might as well be now. "I kissed her the night of her high school graduation."

I wait for Bull to charge me but he doesn’t. He does spit an expletive at me though. "Fuck."

I shake my head, trying to figure out what I can do to make this right. "I know it was wrong. I was 28 and she was 18. I've made myself stay away from her these past three years – almost four - and they have been the worst years of my life. I haven't been able to forget her and I'm not going to be able to."

His face is angry as he looks at me. "She's my daughter, man."

I can only imagine what he feels and I look at him helplessly. "I know that, Bull. You don't think I've been fucked up over this? I've been celibate for four years. I don't even want to look at another woman. I've tried to stay away from her. Fuck, I’ve tried. I didn't want to mess with her dreams and what she wants, but she's about to graduate and she's about to come home. If she'll have me, I want to be her man."

Bull doesn't say anything. He's pacing back and forth in the room and I know he's having trouble dealing with all of this.

I’m afraid he’s going to refuse me and tell me to stay away from her. I’ve never went against a member of the club before and I don’t want to start now, but for Emma, I will. "Look, Bull. I'm crazy about her. You know I'm not a bad guy."

He stops and throws his hands up in the air. "You think I don't know that? I know it, but it doesn't make it right."

He stomps towards me, not stopping until we're toe to toe. He's breathing hard and I prepare myself for a punch, but just as fast, he starts to calm himself. He crosses his arms over his chest and looks at me. "If she decides she wants to be with you, I'll stand to the side, but you need to make a promise to me. Fuck that, two promises Maddox."

I nod my head. At this point, I would promise him anything as long as I can be with Emma. "You promise me that you'll never hurt her again. That's number one. Number two, you promise me that you wait until she graduates. I don't want all of this fucking with her. I want her to follow her dreams, not yours. You do those two things, you have my blessing."

I nod my head. It's like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. "I promise, Bull."